


The Wedding Date

by tommygirl



Category: My Boys (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 16:57:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17047064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommygirl/pseuds/tommygirl
Summary: Brendan gets invited to Wendy's wedding and PJ is his girlfriend now.  There are test dates and attending a wedding.  What could possibly go wrong?





	The Wedding Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blithers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blithers/gifts).



> I hope this gift meets your wish. It was fun to revisit these characters. Thanks to my beta and to my pal for texting back and forth with me on ideas and how to make this work.

“Wendy’s getting married,” Brando announced without preamble as he came into the apartment, dropping his jacket on the couch and looking entirely too forlorn for poker night.

It was moments like this that PJ wished she was a little bit more like Stephanie.  Stephanie would know the appropriate thing to say, something that wasn't “Thank God it’s not you” or “that sucks.”  Both were true, but neither was what Brendan wanted to hear.   She decided to settle on, “Is there anything I can do?”

He practically slammed into his usual seat with a sigh and ignored her.  He said, “I saw her downtown and she was beaming and excitedly told me about her and her soulmate.”

“Really sucks, Brando.”

He shrugged out of his jacket and said, “She was so damn nice about it.  She invited me to the wedding.”

“What?  That’s weird.”

“It is weird, but I couldn’t say ‘no’ to her, could I?”

“Of course you could because it’s _weird_ ,” PJ replied.  She hadn’t thought much about her own wedding – had never been that girl who grew up reading bridal magazines or saved things on a Pinterest board - but couldn’t imagine wanting her exes there.

Brendan ran his hand over his face and gave her that _whattya-gonna-do_ look that she had first seen when they both faced the horrible final exam from that required math course that they had barely passed.  PJ hated seeing him look so defeated, especially about something involving Wendy when he was finally free of that mess.   She forced a small smile and said, “When is it?  Between me and the guys I’m sure we can come up with a plausible way to get you out of it.”

“It’s next weekend.”

“Next…Brando, she can’t actually want you to go.  Maybe she was just asking to be polite.”

“That’s what I thought at first.  Because while she is Wendy, and totally something she would do, I really thought she was trying to soften the blow or something.”

“More like rub it in your face.”

“I thought you started to like Wendy.”

“I decided she wasn’t as horrible as I originally thought, but that was not a high bar to pass.  And my loyalty is to you, not her,” she replied.  When Brendan grinned, she squeezed his arm and added, “Seriously, dude, what can I do?  Tell me.”

“It’s funny you mention that…”

The oven dinged and she said, “Shit, those stupid apps that Mike insisted on!”

She rushed into the kitchen to pull the cookie sheet out and dropped it on the stove.  She turned to look at him and he said, “I already told her that I would go and-“

“-Brando, no, you’re not doing this.  It’s called _boundaries_.  We’ve had this conversation a million times and it’s part of why the two of you never worked.  You always went along with whatever she wanted, bitched about it to everyone but her until it all came to an ugly head and then went round-and-round the break-up game.”

“That’s not why we broke up.  She said we would never work long-term because I was too attached to you and the guys.  Could never miss our outings, but never thought to include her.”

“You tried, but she wasn’t interested in the Ultimate Dart Competition.”

Brendan ran his hand over his face and said, “I’m an idiot.  I know I should have politely declined, but I was talking before I could stop myself.”

“You do have a habit of doing that.  Beer?”

“You have to ask?”

PJ pulled two beers out of the fridge and popped the tops.  She called out, “It might not be too late to tell her you’ve reconsidered.  Just send a text and then ghost her.”

“I can’t.  She can’t wait to see you.”

“See me?” PJ replied.

Brendan held up his hands like he was dealing with a spooked horse and replied, “You said you would do what you could.”

She moved back toward the dining room and said, “Like help you get drunk and trash-talk.  Not whatever has that guilty expression on your face.”

“You’re my date,” Brendan replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  Like the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and PJ and Brendan go on dates.  It had been forever – years of commiserating over broken hearts, spilled beers at Crowley’s when the Bears faced crushing defeat, and death-to-Brando moments of listening to him sing in the shower at god awful hours of the night – since she had considered her and Brendan as a possibility.  Contrary to what Stephanie tended to think about her, she was a woman with eyes and Brendan was a good looking dude with a smile that could pull you in.  He could be annoying as hell, but was also incredibly kind and thoughtful.  PJ had totally crushed on Brendan back in her late teen years.  But he pulled the bro- _wassup_ -card and she realized she never wanted to risk losing her best friend. 

PJ slammed the beers onto the table, spilling a little on her hand and the cards.  She wiped her hand off on her leg and said, “You can’t be serious.”

When her best friend continued avoiding her annoyed gaze by focusing on the Tostitos and how many he could shove into his mouth, she stomped her foot down on the floor and did her best imitation of her mom complete with a hand to her jutted hip.  Brendan grabbed another handful of chips, humming something unintelligible under his breath, and PJ cringed as half of the chips fell down onto his tee-shirt.

“Tell me this is some weird joke that you and the guys thought up,” PJ replied.  Brendan remained silent and PJ tried to remain chill, to remind herself that Brando never thought reasonably when it came to Wendy.  It didn’t mean she wanted to get sucked into some weird soap opera and have it mess up the most important friendship she had. 

“Look.  I didn’t plan on it.  I was trying to save face because Wendy is getting married to some banker and before I could stop myself I was telling her how happy I was that she moved on because I had gotten pretty serious with someone too.”

“Oh no.”

Brendan sighed and said, “Yeah.  I wasn’t expecting her to invite us to the wedding.”

“Still doesn’t explain how I got dragged into this.”

“She assumed it was you that I was in a serious relationship with.”

“She assumed it was me?”

“Could you not sound so incredulous about the possibility?  My ego has already taken a hit tonight.”

“But we’re friends.”

“I’m closer to you than pretty much anyone so I don’t think it’s that far-fetched of an idea,” Brendan replied.

“Brando, we’re not in a relationship.  We’ve never even been on a date.  How are we going to pull off madly-in-love?”

“Can you just do me this favor?  Please.”

PJ wasn’t sure her brain could process this.  She had a deadline for an article that she did not want to even look at on the Cubs recent slump and the guys would be arriving for poker and the last thing she wanted was for this to turn into a thing.  She already got the teasing for that failed whatever with Bobby.  That was the reason she found herself responding, “Okay.  Fine, but you owe me.”

**

Two days later PJ was regretting the decision to help her best friend.  She had wanted to watch the game in peace, but nothing was ever that simple.  Not with her friends.

PJ tossed a handful of peanuts into her mouth and followed it with a chug of her beer, wiping her hand across her mouth.  She noticed Stephanie shoot her a look and she said, “What?”

“You need to stop hanging out with these idiots,” Stephanie replied.

“You’re dating one of them, so you’ve got no room to judge,” PJ replied, motioning to where Stephanie was sitting in Kenny’s lap.

“It still freaks me out that you and Kenny are in a relationship,” Mike replied.  Bobby nodded in agreement and Kenny glared at them.  Mike shrugged and said, “I’m sorry, but it’s weird.  Almost as crazy as the fact that PJ and Brando are dating now.”

“We’re not dating,” PJ replied.

“You are going to a wedding together.  That’s a date,” Bobby pointed out.

“And it’s about time,” Stephanie commented.  PJ glared at her and Stephanie went on, “The two of you have danced around this thing for years.  Did you ever think that maybe there’s a reason you’re both still single?”

“Bad taste.”

“Hey, I’ll try not to be offended,” Bobby replied.

“I’m doing him a favor.  Same I would do for any of you.”

“You’ve never agreed to go with me to a wedding,” Mike pointed out from where he was sitting on her couch. 

“Why would I go with you to a wedding?”

Mike smirked at her and replied, “Why would you go with Brando?”

“You’re all jerks,” PJ replied.

“I, for one, am rooting for the two of you,” Kenny said.

“There’s nothing to root for.  I’m helping a friend out of a jam,” PJ replied.

The door opened and Brendan came in with a grin on his face.  He hopped over the back of the couch and sat down next to PJ, reaching out for the bowl of peanuts in her hand.  He said, “Good, I’m not too late.”  He turned to look at PJ and added, “I picked up a gift and card from us for the wedding.”

“Looks, guys, they’re an _us_ now,” Mike pointed out.

Brendan didn’t seem fazed, but PJ tossed a handful of peanuts at the man.  She said, “Knock it off.”

“What did I miss?” Brendan asked.

“The game sucks,” PJ replied.  Brendan shifted closer to her as he leaned over to take a swig of her beer. 

“So how did you do it Brando?”  Mike asked.

“Huh?”

“Convince PJ to go on a date with you?”

“Threw myself at her mercy?” Brendan replied.  He set down the beer and said, “But that reminds me…”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound good.”

“I think we should do a test date,” Brendan said.

Bobby snorted, Mike spit up a part of his drink and Stephanie clapped her hands together like an evil villain seeing her plan come together.  PJ could only blink rapidly as she tried to process what Brando was saying to her.

“Peej.”

“A test date?  What is a test date?”

“We need this to be believable.”

“I already know everything there is too know, way too much.  I think I’m good.”

“You know me as your best friend.”

“And?”

“And now you’re my girlfriend.”

“Pretend.”

“Not to Wendy and the other guests.   You’re the love of my life.”

“Oh dear God.  I’m too sober for this conversation,” she muttered.

Mike chuckled and said, “Wait.  What does a test date involve and can we come and watch?”

“No, you creepy pervs,” Stephanie replied. She hopped up and said, “But we could do a double-date.  It’ll be great.  Me and Kenny and you and Brendan…dating like I always imagined.”

“We’re not really dating-“

“Fake it ‘til you make it,” Mike offered.

“Not sure it works that way,” PJ muttered.

Brendan leaned his head on her shoulder and said, “C’mon, Peej.  It’ll be good for us.”

“Yeah, Peej, it’ll be good for you,” Mike mocked.

“If we’re going to pull this off, we need to be comfortable as a couple,” Brendan said.

“So we’re going on couples’ outings?” PJ replied. 

“And then you do a second date the next night, based on the pointers that Kenny and I give you,” Stephanie replied.  When PJ started to respond, Stephanie spoke over her, “I _am_ the relationship expert in this group.  This will be great.  I’ll make reservations for tomorrow night.  C’mon Kenny, let’s go.”

“But the game,” he whined as Stephanie yanked him out of the chair.  Stephanie glared at him and he sighed before replying, “Night guys.”

**

“Test date one was a success, I think,” Brendan replied as he parked the car near the apartment building. 

PJ turned to look at him and waved the sheet of paper in his face.  She replied, “She had notes.”

“She’s trying to help us.”

“I’ve dated plenty of people without requiring a study guide.  I think I can figure it out.”

“We’re not just dating.  We’re _dating_.”

“Yeah, that clears up absolutely nothing.”

Brendan grabbed her hand and said, “I had fun tonight.”

PJ sighed.  She had fun too, which was part of the problem.  She hated the knowing looks that Stephanie kept shooting her whenever PJ laughed or Brendan draped his arm around her in the booth.  She kept playing over the amused grin on Kenny’s face and the way her friend had moved excitedly as she pushed PJ into the bathroom and stated, “Oh my god, you _like_ -like him.”

PJ had decided in that moment that she was doomed.  This was a terrible mistake.   She should explain to Brendan that this couldn’t happen and call it a bust.  Instead, her stupid mouth betrayed her and she said, “I always have fun with you, Brando.”

He squeezed and said, “So tomorrow night?”

“Uh, you still live in my guest room.”

“Nope,” Brendan replied, holding up a set of keys.  Stephanie insisted that I stay at Kenny’s and he’ll stay with her.  Something about the importance of maintaining romance in a relationship.”

“Dude,” PJ replied, but couldn’t help but chuckle when Brendan started to laugh.  She kissed him on the cheek – where had that come from – and hopped out of the car.  She said, “Do not be late for our date.”

**

Test Date Two: the solo version was going extraordinarily well.  PJ had been on a good dates in her lifetime, but this was probably one of the best.  She told herself it was because it was Brando and there was no real pressure because it wasn’t real…but she still found herself leaning in closer and letting him hold her hand as the waiter refilled their drinks.  She was charmed by stories she had heard a million times, punch lines that she had told him, and it felt so natural.

It wasn’t until Brendan ordered dessert that PJ realized she was on a slippery slope into a place she hadn’t let herself consider in a long time.

Brendan had given his best charming grin and told the waitress, “This one loves chocolate more than she loves me, so you better bring two slices.”

The waitress shot her an _aww-shucks_ type of smile and said, “You should keep this one.  He appreciates a woman’s love of chocolate.”

PJ responded, “Yeah, no plans to give him up.”

PJ wasn’t sure where that came from.  She had to remind herself that this was pretend.  That Brendan was playing a part – and so was she – and this whole Test Date thing was stupid and needed to stop.

“Maybe we should do this again tomorrow.”

“I think we’ve got the hang of this.  The waitress seems to think I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”

“Only fair since I think every guy is jealous that you’re here with me.”

“Jeez, Brando, no need to lay it on so thick.  It’s me.”

Brendan squeezed her hand and said, “It’s true.  You’re beautiful, Peej.”

She blushed and said, “Shut up.”

“I mean it.  You’ve always been beautiful and it’s…it’s always been so easy with you.  I sometimes wonder what it would’ve been like if we had tried this in college.”

“You were drunk and tried to pretend our hook-up never happened,” PJ countered.  She took a sip of her water and said, “I think it worked out.  You’re my best friend, someone I would do anything for, as evident by this week.”

Brendan’s eyes flickered with something for a brief second before he smiled at her and said, “You got no idea what this means to me.”

PJ could feel a potential moment.  She could hear Steph whispering in her ear that when you know, you know, but she _couldn’t_ know.  This was pretend.

PJ stood up and said, “I’m suddenly feeling a little light-headed.  Could you get the dessert to go and I’ll wait outside?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just need some air.”

“Peej…”

She squeezed his shoulder and said, “It’s good, Brando.  We’re good.”

**

PJ laughed into Brendan’s shoulder and said, “You are still the worst at this.”

“I can’t believe I let you drag me to batting cages.  You’ve got an unfair advantage here.”

“It wasn’t the spazzy swinging that got to me, but you’re adorably perplexed face when the balls kept coming after you had dropped the bat.”

“Glad my near death was amusing to you,” Brendan replied, shaking her gently.  He brushed the hair out of her face and said, “You’d totally miss me if I was gone.”

“Eh.  Probably.  I’d have to upgrade Mike to a higher level of friendship than I think he can handle,” PJ replied.  She pulled back from Brendan’s grasp on her and said, “I think we’ve got this dating thing down.”

“We really should practice the kissing.”

“The what now?”

“We want it to be realistic right?”

“Why do we need to be kissing?  Wouldn’t it be considered rude to make out with another girl at your ex’s wedding?”

“I’m not saying we get caught going at it in the bathroom, but couples kiss.”

“Brando…”

“PJ, c’mere,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her into his arms.

She stared at him and said, “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this mess.”

“It means a lot that you’d help me.”

“You will owe me for life, Brando.”

“You cool if I kiss you now?”

She knew she should say no and pull away from him.  But she couldn’t deny that she was curious and it probably would be good to not seem completely uncomfortable with it at the wedding.  She grabbed him by the back of the neck and pressed their lips together.  His arms wrapped around her and she forced herself to pull back after a second, licking her bottom lip and saying, “Yeah, I think we’re good.”

**

Stephanie zipped up her dress and said, “You look so hot.  No way Brendan doesn’t attempt to seal the deal tonight.”

“It’s a fake date.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It is.”

“And how many fake dates have you and Brando had so far?”

“You made us-“

“I said two, but there were more.”

“Four.  We’ve gone on four fake-dates.”

“Yep.”

“Would you stop?  This is already confusing enough without you getting in my head,” PJ complained.

“It’s okay to want this to be more.  I think Brendan does.”

“Steph…”

“I’m serious.  If the two of you could see yourselves, this whole dumb thing would be over.  Even Kenny picked up on the sexual tension coming off the two of you the other night.  He thinks you’d be good together.  Kenny, my witless idiot, seems to have realized what you are too dumb or stubborn to see.”

“I should just drug myself and get out of this mess.”

“You would never do that.”

“I’m too nice.”

“Only to Brendan.  You wouldn’t have done this for any of the other guys.”

“I barely want to do it now, but Brando gave me those damn sad eyes and I crumpled.”

“Because you love him.”

“Yes, he’s my best friend.”

“You’re really going to make me do this?  You’re _in_ love with him.  There’s a big difference.”

“Shut up, I am not.  It’s Brando.  It’s me and Brando.  Same as we’ve ever been.”

Steph gave her that look and said, “Look, PJ, I get it.  Realizing that I was in love with Kenny, of all people, was really hard for me to process.  It’s hard to admit that you’ve started looking at someone you’ve known for so long in a different way, but it’s a lot easier than denying it all of the time.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“You’ve been dancing around this thing for years.  I thought maybe it would pass if you found Mr. Right, but you’ve continued to find fault with every single person you date,” she said.  She sat down on the bed and said, “PJ, I know you.  I get that you’re one of the boys most of the time, but you have to have realized that your relationship with Brendan has always had the potential for more.”

“Could we please not do this?  I just have to get through tonight and then this will be done. He and I can get back to normal.”

Steph shook her head and said, “You’re so damn stubborn.”  She threw a bottle at PJ’s head and continued, “Add something to keep your hair from frizzing.  No one wants to meet the ex-girlfriend of their beloved with bad hair.”

“My beloved?  You need to stop with the romance books,” PJ commented before heading back into the bathroom.  She stared at herself in the mirror and tried to keep Stephanie’s words from getting into her brain and messing everything up.

The last week had been fun and more than a little confusing.  She hadn’t expected agreeing to this charade would lead to such confusion.  It was her fault because she kept agreeing to more dates and practice kisses to the point that last night she had instinctively reached for his hand when he opened the car door for her.  She tried to tell herself that it had been so comfortable because it was Brando, who knew her inside-and-out in a lot of ways, but her nerves had been slightly on edge and she found herself almost giggling at points.

She didn’t giggle.

She definitely didn’t giggle with Brendan.

“I just have to make it through tonight,” she said to herself.

**

PJ took a few minutes to calm herself down before heading out into the living room.  Mike wolf-whistled and said, “Looking good.”

“What are you doing here?” PJ asked.

“There’s a game on tonight and my television is busted.  We can’t go to Kenny’s place because his neighbor goes to bed a seven pm and there’s no way any of us wanted to drive out to the suburbs.  Besides, we always watch here.”

“I’m beginning to think I need to set boundaries with all of you,” PJ muttered.

Mike nodded appreciatively at her dress and said, “Seriously, Peej, you look hot.  Brando is a lucky man.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes as she appeared from the kitchen with a few beers and Kenny in tow.  She said, “It’s her duty as the new girlfriend to one-up the old girlfriend, even at her wedding.”

Mike snorted and said, “Sure.”

Bobby came into her apartment and grinned at her.  He said, “You clean up nice.”

She twirled around and said, “Occasionally.”  She banged on the door of Brendan’s room and said, “Brando!  C’mon!  At midnight I turn back into a pumpkin complete with ponytail and sweats.”

“Coming, coming,” Brendan called out.

“He takes longer to get ready than my mother,” PJ muttered.

When the door opened, Brendan walked out in a new black suit that fit him perfectly and PJ swallowed down the gasp that wanted to come out.  It wasn’t that she had never seen Brendan dressed up before, but this whole thing felt different as he eyed her over and grinned at her.  He said, “We’re going to be the hottest couple there.”

“You both do clean up nice,” Bobby pointed out.

“Like Ken and Barbie on crack,” Mike commented.

“It’s weird and off-putting to see the two of you like this, but it works,” Kenny added.

PJ glared at them and Brendan simply grabbed her coat and held it out for her.  PJ stared at him in confusion for a second before letting him help her slip into it.  He grabbed his coat and keys and said, “Don’t wait up for us.”

“Do we need to give you a talk, young man?” Mike hollered.

Brendan flipped him off and PJ replied, “Dude, seriously?”

“Have fun.  I’ll make sure the idiots are out of here before you’ll be back.”

“Text me scores,” PJ called out as Brendan ushered her out of the apartment.

As they made their way out to Brendan’s car, Brendan said, “You really do look beautiful.”

She blushed.  She wasn’t sure why and reminded herself that this was Brendan.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Brando.”

He grinned and said, “I owe you for this.”

“Yep.”

He stopped abruptly and she careened into him, pressing her hands into his chest to steady herself on her feet.  She laughed and said, “Dude.  Warn a girl.”

“I wouldn’t be able to do this without you, Peej.”

“This has got to be weird for you.”

He pressed his fingers together and said, “A bit.”

“Well, I’m glad I can help you out.  And that you’ll be my slave for the rest of our lives.”

Brendan laughed and continued to walk.  PJ felt her worries about the fake dating fade away.  They were still them.  She and Brando were solid, and nothing would mess that up.

**

PJ could admit that it had been a beautiful ceremony and Wendy had looked amazing and the groom seemed to only have eyes for her.  She could appreciate it even if it wasn’t something she really envisioned for herself as far as things went.  Brendan had kept his arm around her, squeezing her slightly as they walked from the ceremony to the cocktail area, making small talk with the couple that had been sitting next to them.

Brendan leaned in close to her and said, “Halfway done.”

“You good?” PJ asked.

“Did I tell you how beautiful you look yet?”

She smiled.  “A few times.”

“Most beautiful girl here,” Brendan said. 

PJ felt her cheeks flush and forced herself to punch his arm to re-establish the norm.  She said, “No need for flattery, dude.  I’m already here.”

He rolled his eyes and said, “It was a nice ceremony.”

“It was.”

“A part of me was worried that I would be losing my mind and get tempted to stop the wedding.”

“You still love her that much?” PJ replied, trying to ignore the momentary pang in her gut.

“No.  Not really.  But it’s Wendy and our relationship was always over-the-top.  Felt like I had to prove something and, when she invited me, it was so weird-“

“-that’s one word for it.”

“I mean, it was supposed to be me up there with her, right?  But seeing her with that banker guy, I get it.  They look right.  She and I were never right, no matter how much we tried.”

“I think you and Wendy were both scared to let go of each other.  Maybe it’s good that you came.”

“Maybe,” he replied.  His gaze shifted away from her for a second and then he leaned in closer, brushing her hair back from her face, and said, “I’ve really had a good time this week with you.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re a good fake girlfriend.”

“I’m the _best_ fake girlfriend.  I should get many, many presents.”

He laughed and said, “You’re dating a poor, out-of-work radio DJ.  Not sure that’s in the budget, pookie.”

“Never call me pookie again, sweetlips, or I’ll kill you.”

“Sweetlips?  I oddly kind of like it,” Brando joked.

“Knock it off or I’ll take this spiky heel and drive it into your skull.”

“Son, never anger your wife.  They’re always right,” a random man standing next to them stated.

PJ was about to explain that they were not married, when Brendan took her hand and said, “Don’t worry, sir.  We both know she’s in charge.”

The man nodded and was pulled into another conversation.  Brendan shrugged in response and said, “Easier to play along.”

“Now I’m the wife?”

“Is it really that terrible being married to me?”

She shook her head and said, “Might have been nice to be asked.”

“Obviously you were.  Cubs game.”

“Do not say Jumbo Screen. Do not say jumbo screen,” she replied.

“No way.  I’m a classy guy.  I waited until after the game and did it in the parking lot with the ring sticking off the top of my empty beer bottle.”

“I think we know why Wendy dumped you,” PJ commented with a laugh.

“Oh my God, Brendan!  You came!” an older woman called out, hurrying over toward them with a man in tow.  She hugged Brendan and said, “You look handsome as ever.  And this must be PJ.”

PJ only had a second to glance at Brendan before the woman had pulled PJ into a hug and said, “Wendy told us you were coming together.  I admit that I thought it was odd, but it seems fitting.  Brendan used to talk about you all the time.  I feel like I know you already.”

“We’ve been best friends for a long time,” PJ responded, walking that fine line between lying and playing her part.

The woman nodded excitedly and yanked on the man’s hand behind her.  She said, “That’s how I landed Jason here.  Friends since we were kids.  I had a huge crush on him, but he didn’t notice me until I went to prom our senior year with someone else.  Sometimes it just takes a nudge.”

“That’s not really-“

“-luckily, I didn’t have to fight off some other guy for PJ.  I just woke up one day and realized she was the only person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” Brendan stated.  He took PJ’s hand, rubbing his thumb along the top and making every clear thought in PJ’s head flitter off into the night.  He nudged her and said, “PJ, honey, this is Nancy.  She’s Wendy’s godmother.  Nancy, this is PJ.”

“I know things got sticky between you and Wendy at the end, but when I heard she asked you and PJ to come…” Nancy paused and leaned in conspiratorially toward Brendan before fake whispering, “You never told us how beautiful she is.”

“Leave the boy alone, Nancy.  He didn’t realize how he felt back then,” the man said.  He shook Brendan’s hand and said, “How are you, son?”

“I’m good, Jason.  It’s not as strange to be here as I expected,” Brendan responded, retaking PJ’s hand again as soon as Jason let it go.  He squeezed it and PJ returned it, unsure if he was offering her an apology or asking for help.

Nancy smiled at them and said, “You and Wendy tried, but you can’t help who you love.  Andrew is everything Wendy has ever wanted and it seems like you found what you were looking for too.”

PJ wasn’t even sure what to say.  She felt like she was in Bizzaro-land of some kind and it was only made stranger as Brendan pulled her close, kissed the side of her head, his hand brushing down her back, and said, “We’re both really happy for her.  And it was really nice of Wendy to invite us.”

Nancy nodded like all of this was perfectly normal.  She winked at PJ and said, “Make sure you get up close for the bouquet toss.”

“Me?”

“I’m sure you and Brendan won’t be waiting too long.  You already know everything there is to know about each other, right?”

“Well,” PJ stopped, unsure what else to say.

“I don’t want to spoil any plans I might have, Nancy,” Brendan replied with a mischievous grin.

She laughed and waved him off.  She kissed his cheek and said, “Well, it was good to see you again.”  She pointed to PJ and added, “And wonderful to meet you, PJ.  You take care of this one for us, okay?  We’re fond of him.”

“Me too,” PJ offered.  Once they were out of earshot, she pretended to fix Brendan’s tie and whispered, “Where are we?”

“It’s weird, right?”

“Her family wants you to propose to me?”

“I did talk about you a lot, I guess.”

She glanced at his wrist and said, “We just need to get through the next three hours without your ex-girlfriend’s family trying to plan an impromptu wedding for us.”  He grinned and she added, “And, for the record, they are not coming to our wedding.  I won’t encourage this freakish, mentally-healthy behavior.”

“It should be small.  Just the guys, our families…maybe at Crowley’s.”

“You want us to get married at the bar?”

“Seems fitting.”

“No.”

“Northwestern bleachers?”

“A little more romantic, considering our personal history, but still a hard pass.”

“I’ve got myself a Bridezilla.  Who knew?”

She shrugged playfully and said, “Please, I’m going to have the Maid-of-Honor-zilla in Stephanie.”

“I would almost be insulted that I wasn’t your maid-of-honor if I wasn’t the one you were marrying.”

A waiter appeared with a tray full of champagne and PJ grabbed one and downed it.  This game was starting to freak her out.  She could almost imagine herself in a nice dress walking up an aisle to Brendan.  They would be smile, share a private joke, and…

She took another flute of champagne and Brendan commented, “Slow down, champ.”

“I’m good.  It’s all good.”

**

Things were horrible.

This week had been too much and she was a jumbled mess.  It had been a terrible idea to pretend to be the love of Brendan Dorff’s life, especially when mixed with too much champagne and too little food.  Brendan was a much better actor than she had ever given him credit for.  He kept touching her and whispering random, sweet things into her ear, and she suddenly understood why so many girls fell victim to the Brando charm.

Brando had moves.

They had never really made it that far back in college.  They were already best friends when the kiss happened.  He had never wooed her and thank god for that because PJ probably would’ve fallen hard.

And she was never going to even think about that again.

Stupid champagne.  She hated champagne.

“You okay there?” Brendan asked, appearing out of nowhere.

“I’m fine.  Pat and Rebecca decided to go smoke so I was finally given a reprieve from their lovely cruise stories.”

“Sounds like I missed a hoot and a half.”

“Where did you disappear to anyway?”

“Talked to Wendy.  Wished her the best and thanked her for inviting us,” Brendan replied. 

“She’s been very sweet.  I half expected people to try to burn me at the stake for supposedly stealing her fiancé or something.”

Brendan laughed and said, “You think I’d let that happen?”

“Under the spell of _Wendy_?  Maybe.”

He reached out to squeeze her shoulder and said, “No way.  I’ve got years invested in you.  Can’t even imagine trying to find another best friend that lets me live in her spare room, understands the importance of game day routines and can drink me under the table.”

PJ grinned and said, “You’re terrible at pool,  and that mess at the batting cages the other night was almost embarrassing, but I think I made out pretty well in this friendship too.”  She groaned and said, “Alcohol makes me maudlin.”

Brendan sat down next to her and PJ caught Wendy glancing over at them.  She waved and PJ felt compelled to wave back.  Brendan said, “She looks happy, doesn’t she?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” he replied.

“Huh?”

“It’s like Nancy said earlier.  It worked out,” he replied.

He got this far off look and PJ realized this was probably harder for him than he was letting on.  She took his hand and squeezed it.  She said, “You know I’m here for you, right?”

Brendan smiled and said, “You always are.”

“You going to be okay?”

“I’m actually fine,” he replied.  Off the disbelieving look on her face, he added, “No really.  She and I were never a good match.  It’s hard to admit, always was, because I really did love her, but she’s not who I was meant to be with,  When we broke up the last time, she said some things I wasn’t ready to hear and I hated her for it.  It’s probably good that I came and we got to talk for a few minutes.  Still weird as hell to do it at her wedding.”

“Closure.”

“Sort of,” Brendan replied with a soft smile.  He held out his hand to her and said, “Let’s dance.”

“No thanks.”

“Peej, you love this song.”

The slow hum of the music was enticing, but between the alcohol, the damn feelings bubbling up inside her and the way everyone had kept shooting them so-adorable looks, she was afraid of where it could lead.  “But-“

“You have to earn those beers, Franklin, and as my date, my girlfriend, possible future wife, depending on who you ask, you should be willing to dance with me,” Brando commented, practically yanking her out of her chair.

“A few bridesmaids cornered me earlier.”

“How did I miss this?”

“I thought I was going to end up wrestling with a bunch of blondes in Taffeta but apparently they just wanted to know when you were going to make an honest woman out of me,” PJ replied.  She had hoped to elicit a shocked expression from Brando, but he just took her hand and wound them around his neck, pulling her closure as they joined other couples on the dance floor.  PJ regretted that last glass of wine as she leaned in closer and allowed Brendan to lead them.

She could hear Stephanie’s voice in her head telling her to accept the fact that she was in love and do something about it.  She couldn’t because this was a line that should only be crossed if both people were on the same page and damn sure of what they were doing.  You didn’t pull a pitcher in the middle of a no-hitter and you didn’t just mess up a perfectly good friendship because of one interesting week of fake dating.

She reminded herself that Brendan was playing a part, trying to show everyone from Wendy’s life that he was as happy as she was.  Brando had needed help and he turned to his best friend.  That was what they did and she couldn’t let the strangeness of the whole night to confuse her.

The alcohol, romantic nature of the day and the way Brendan looked in his suit were a deadly combination of _make-PJ-behave_ - _stupidly_ and she was realizing that her belief that things had always been completely uncomplicated between them wasn’t quite accurate.  It wasn’t like she hadn’t ever felt anything for Brendan before.  She had considered it, but even with that one shared kiss, they had seemed stuck in the friend’s zone.  And in those rare moments, when they were both single, she reminded herself that taking a chance with a friendship like theirs seemed stupid.  They were fully ensconced in each other’s lives and, while she knew at some point that things would change as they got older, she didn’t want to completely lose him.

Living without Brando as her friend would be worse than ignoring those random _what if_ thoughts that were creeping into her head.

As if he was reading her mind, he asked, “You ever think about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t been such an idiot?”

“What?”

“Back in college.  Shit, Peej, you scared the hell outta me.  Most important person in my life and I just couldn’t stand the thought of losing you, no matter how much I wanted it.”

“So that’s why you were such an idiot?”

He nodded and she said, “You made the right call.”

“Did I?  Because sometimes I really regret it.”

“Brando, how much did you drink?”

“I’m our designated driver.  I’ve been knocking back club sodas.”

“So it’s some weird transference thing?”

“What are you talking about?” he replied with an exasperated-but-fond look.

“Weddings make people crazy and this is your ex-fiancée’s wedding so that’s double trouble.”

“Wendy told me she was glad that we had finally gotten our acts together and spared any more people getting stuck in our mess of feelings.”

“Wendy was always unnerved by the fact that I liked my guy friends more than going out with the girls.  It’s never been my scene, but it doesn’t mean I want to date any of you.”

“I can’t really see you with Kenny, Mike would drive you crazy in a day, and didn’t you and Bobby already try that?”

“Didn’t you and I?  And you got flustered and ran.”

“I wasn’t ready back then for what we would entail.”

PJ stopped dancing and said, “Let’s stick to the plan, okay?  We came, we played the happy couple, and now maybe we should leave.”

“Peej-“

“-I’ve had way too much to drink for this conversation.”

He sighed and pulled away from her.  He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, “You’re right.  I’ll grab our coats and we can leave.”

She hated the hurt look on his face, but this whole thing had been a really bad idea.  This wasn’t them.  And once they were out of the fog of a wedding fraught with emotional booby-traps, there would be this cloud hanging between them if she wasn’t smart.

So she nodded and let him leave her on the dance floor.  She turned around and Wendy was there.  PJ clutched her chest and said, “You’re like a ninja in a wedding dress.”

“You two look happy.”

“Oh.  Um.”

“It’s okay, PJ.  You make him happy in a way I never could.  I used to hate you for it, but it was only once I met Andrew that I really understood it.”

“It wasn’t like that between us-“

“-I know he wasn’t cheating on me.  Brendan wouldn’t do that and neither would you, but I think it was obvious to everyone but the two of you.  It’s my own fault for thinking that accepting his proposal would just erase that connection you two have.”

“He’s my best friend.”

“Andrew’s my best friend.  He can drive me crazy in a way no one else ever has, but he knows me and loves me despite all my flaws.  I finally get it and, as crazy as it sounds, it made me happy to hear that Brendan had stop being such an idiot about how he felt about you.  Life’s too short to be wasting time.”

“He really did love you.”

“I know that, but not the way he loves you.  You should’ve heard him talking about the two of you last week.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like that,” she replied and PJ knew there wasn’t an ounce of anger in her voice.  She had almost hoped it was there, so she could write the whole thing off as a bitter ex with an ax to grind or her putting her own simmering issues on PJ’s shoulders, but Wendy truly believed what she was saying and seemed more than okay with it.    Wendy took her hand and said, “I wanted you to get the bouquet, but my cousin would’ve tackled you to get it, so it was just easier to make sure it landed in her lap.  She doesn’t even have a boyfriend, but let her hold onto the dream.”

“I only stood up because your godmother grabbed me and made me do it.”

Wendy laughed and said, “She’s always had a soft spot for Brendan and she can see that you make him happy.”

PJ wasn’t sure what else to say.  Her head was spinning and she wasn’t sure what to make of anything.  She felt like her whole world had tilted on its axis in the course of one night, except that wasn’t quite right.  She could hear Steph telling her _I told you so_ as she thought about the whole week and how right it had felt at times.

She finally replied, “Wendy, it was nice of you to invite us.”

“Just take care of him, okay?   And I better get invited when the two of you get married.”

“He was getting our coats, so I should probably go,” PJ said. She started to walk off, but turned back and hugged Wendy.  She said, “You’re a beautiful bride.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a smile.

It was still a weird situation, but PJ felt lighter as she walked off the dance floor.  None of this made any sense, but she couldn’t help but think about Brendan with possibility in a way that she hadn’t allowed herself to in years.

**

Brendan parked the car, but when PJ went to step out, he grabbed her hand and said, “Wait.”

“Tonight hitting you?  You need to talk.”

“You could say that.”

“Brando…”

His hands came up to her face, cupping it as his thumbs brushed along her jaw, and he said, “Stop me if I’m reading this all wrong, okay?”

She knew that she should be the mature adult.  That was her role with her group of friends.  She was practical and reasonable and didn’t allow things to fall into chaos.  This…this could create a commotion in their lives.

She found that she didn’t really care as the light from the street lamps hit the windows and illuminated Brendan’s face.  His expression was open and full of love and want in a way that PJ wasn’t used to seeing directed at her from her best friend.  She couldn’t deny the way her hands shook slightly as she grabbed a hold of his tie and pulled him in.  She said, “You stop now and I’ll kill you.”

He grinned and kissed her.  Her mind short-circuited for a second because she remembered their last kiss fondly, but this was something else and her hands gripped onto Brendan’s hair and pulled him closer.  They were both breathing heavily when they pulled back and he smiled tenderly at her, pushing a lock of hair back.  He said, “I know you think I’m messed up about Wendy, but this is what I want.  All week it’s been killing me not to just spit it out.  I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, Peej.  It’s always been you and it scares the hell out of me because you’re my best friend.”

“And the idea of messing that up is terrifying,” PJ added.

He nodded and said, “But I’m sick of playing it safe.  If this week was any hint of what we could have, I think it’s worth it.”  He rubbed her arm and said, “And I’m sorry if I’m overstepping but Kenny said I needed to go for it and I wasn’t sure…but all week it felt so right and then sitting at Wendy’s wedding together…I want this.”

“Stephanie said I was being an idiot and stubborn.”

“You?  Never.”

PJ rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat, creating a little breathing room between them.  Her head was swirling and her hands itched to touch Brendan everywhere, but she needed to be sure.  She said, “This would change things.”

“Yeah, but it could be in a great way.”

“True, it could.”

“During the wedding, the only thing I could think about was what I would do if it were you.  I’m not sure I could just sit there and watch you marry someone else.”

“Brando, there’s not exactly a line of suitors waiting to propose, so if this is-“

“-No, that’s not…I’m not explaining this right,” he said.    He pulled her close and cupped her face in his hands.  He said, “I don’t want to regret not taking my shot because it was scary.  Because this week has been good.”

“Really good.  Never had so much fun fake dating someone.”

“Me either.  It’s why I kept forcing us to do more.”

She nodded because she understood.  She kissed him again, shifting until she could easily climb into his lap and take control of the situation.  His hands roamed up her back and he kissed her jaw and neck, eliciting a small sigh from her.  He grinned and she stared at him.  “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Brendan, if this-“

“-what do you want?  Because I’m all in, PJ, whatever the hell that means.”

“You sure?  I can be a handful.”

“One of my favorite things about you.  Besides, no one else can put up with my cold feed and addiction to Mario Kart.”

“No other guy has been able to handle my bossiness and dude-like behavior.”

He laughed and said, “They were idiots.”  He kissed her softly and said, “I was an idiot.”

She sighed and said, “Let’s take this up to the apartment, okay?”  She cupped his face as she remembered what Wendy had told her about wasting time.  Some people went their whole lives without finding someone they felt attracted to and liked to be around and she had that right there with Brendan.  She had never been afraid of taking chances, used to going against the grain and fighting for what she wanted, and it was stupid to let fear keep her from this.  She said, “It might not be the practical thing, but I’m all in too.”

His grin grew bigger and he said, “Yeah?”

“Yep, but you still owe me a lifetime of pizza and beer for tonight.”

“I don’t know.  Wasn’t all bad.”

“It was bizarre.  Not bad, not at all, but weird.  Wendy is from a pea-pod family,” she replied.  She slipped out of his lap and back into the passenger’s seat.  He took her hand in his and kissed it.  She said, “You’re such a sap, dude.”

“I’ll try to keep from reciting poetry and writing sonnets about your eyes.”

“Dude, let’s get up stairs before I change my mind because you’re super cheesy.”

He laughed and said, “The best girlfriend of my life and it was all pretend.”

“You did luck out,” she replied as she opened her door.  Brendan was suddenly there and he swept her up into his arms in another kiss.  PJ suddenly couldn’t think anymore and she was fine with that.  She just wanted to focus on the moment – it was her and Brendan.  That would never change and she finally got that.

 


End file.
